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Bill Emmott speaker

Bill Emmott

Author And Expert On Geopolitics
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About

Gender: Male
Nationality: Ireland
Languages: English
Travels from: Ireland

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Biography Highlights

  • Led The Economist as Editor-in-Chief from 1993 to 2006, now chair of International Institute for Strategic Studies, world-leading think-tank.
  • Authored 14 influential books on global politics, economics, latest in 2024 on preventing a US-China war over Taiwan.
  • Honored with the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan in 2016 for contributions to UK-Japan relations.

Biography

Bill Emmott: Visionary Journalist, Acclaimed Author, and Global Affairs Strategist

Bill Emmott is a distinguished English journalist, author, and consultant, best known for his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The Economist from 1993 to 2006, and for his influential books, including the latest “Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan” (2024). Born in London in 1956, he was educated at Latymer Upper School and later earned first-class honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Magdalen College, Oxford.

Career at The Economist

Emmott joined The Economist in 1980, serving in various capacities across Brussels, Tokyo, and London. In March 1993, he became the fifteenth Editor-in-Chief, leading the publication to double its global circulation to nearly 1.1 million by 2006. Under his leadership, The Economist took editorial stances on significant issues, including advocating for the Iraq War, legalizing gay marriage, abolishing the British monarchy, and opposing Silvio Berlusconi’s tenure as Italy’s prime minister.

Authorship and Thought Leadership

A prolific writer, Emmott has authored 14 books focusing on Japan, Asia, Italy, and 20th-century history. Notable works include The Sun Also Sets: The Limits to Japan’s Economic Power (1989), 20:21 Vision: Twentieth-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century (2003), and Rivals: How the Power Struggle Between China, India and Japan Will Shape Our Next Decade (2008). His most recent publications are The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea (2017), Japan’s Far More Female Future (2020), and Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan, published in Japanese as How to Stop World War Three (2024). He is a regular columnist for La Stampa in Italy, and Mainichi Shimbun and Nikkei Business in Japan, as well as contributing book reviews to the Financial Times.

Current Roles and Recognitions

Bill Emmott currently serves as Chairman of the Trustees at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and Senior Adviser on Geopolitics for Montrose Associates, a strategic intelligence consultancy. He previously served as Chair of the Japan Society in London from 2019 to 2024.

In recognition of his contributions to UK-Japan relations, the Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in April 2016. Additionally, he is an Ushioda Fellow at Tokyo College, University of Tokyo, and a trustee of the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.

Additional Contributions

Beyond journalism and writing, Emmott co-founded the Wake Up Foundation, an educational charity dedicated to raising awareness of challenges facing Western societies using film, now operating as the Wake Europe Project. He also co-wrote and narrated the documentary films Girlfriend in a Coma (2013) and The Great European Disaster Movie (2015), examining Italy’s socio-economic issues and the European Union’s challenges, respectively.

Residing in Dublin and Oxford with his wife Carol, Emmott continues to influence discussions on global affairs through his writings and advisory roles.

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Available: In person, Virtually
Available: In person, Virtually
Available: In person, Virtually

Books

Bill Emmott book

Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict Over Taiwan (Adelphi series)

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine confirmed that revived great-power competition has heightened the prospect of global conflict, while restoring the concept of deterrence to centre stage. The stakes in a conflict in East Asia, however, would be even higher than those in Ukraine. A war over Taiwan could bring the United States and China, the world’s two greatest powers, into a direct military conflict which would represent a contest for regional or global leadership and would be likely to draw other powers into the fight. Such a war – in which the nuclear question would be ever-present – can currently be described as ‘possible, avoidable, but potentially catastrophic’. In this Adelphi book, Bill Emmott evaluates the diplomatic and deterrence strategies that countries in and outside the Indo-Pacific region are using to try to reduce the risk of that conflict occurring. This book examines these strategies in the light of the lessons of the Ukraine war and identifies yardsticks with which to gauge their potential effectiveness and sustainability. Our goal, Emmott argues, must be for all sides to regard such a US–China conflict as ‘inevitably catastrophic and therefore inconceivable’.

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Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict Over Taiwan (Adelphi series)

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine confirmed that revived great-power competition has heightened the prospect of global conflict, while restoring the concept of deterrence to centre stage. The stakes in a conflict in East Asia, however, would be even higher than those in Ukraine. A war over Taiwan could bring the United States and China, the world’s two greatest powers, into a direct military conflict which would represent a contest for regional or global leadership and would be likely to draw other powers into the fight. Such a war – in which the nuclear question would be ever-present – can currently be described as ‘possible, avoidable, but potentially catastrophic’. In this Adelphi book, Bill Emmott evaluates the diplomatic and deterrence strategies that countries in and outside the Indo-Pacific region are using to try to reduce the risk of that conflict occurring. This book examines these strategies in the light of the lessons of the Ukraine war and identifies yardsticks with which to gauge their potential effectiveness and sustainability. Our goal, Emmott argues, must be for all sides to regard such a US–China conflict as ‘inevitably catastrophic and therefore inconceivable’.
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Bill Emmott book

Japan's Far More Female Future: Increasing Gender Equality and Reducing Workplace Insecurity Will Make Japan Stronger

The Japan on show in the 2019 Rugby World Cup was an admirably safe, stable, resilient, and efficient society. However, that appearance disguises crucial vulnerabilities and social ailments, including an ageing and shrinking population, slow productivity growth, a new low-wage, insecure workforce, declining marriage and fertility rates, and an extreme level of gender inequality. Within this gender gap lies the key both to the ailments and the cure. A deterioration in the use of human capital and a decline in family formation have become entrenched thanks to discrimination against the female half of the population. Yet gradual change is occurring, thanks not only to demographic necessity but also to a significant rise in female access to university education since the 1990s and the emergence of a wide range of role models to inspire and empower the next generation. Analysis of trends and policy options, combined with interviews with 21 role models spanning fields from business to the arts, diplomacy to politics, music to e-commerce, provides ample grounds for optimism. Japan is becoming a nation with an increasing number of potential female leaders. If this rise can be accelerated by both public policy and private action, Japan could achieve much greater social justice and sustainable prosperity in the decades to come.

Read more..

Japan's Far More Female Future: Increasing Gender Equality and Reducing Workplace Insecurity Will Make Japan Stronger

The Japan on show in the 2019 Rugby World Cup was an admirably safe, stable, resilient, and efficient society. However, that appearance disguises crucial vulnerabilities and social ailments, including an ageing and shrinking population, slow productivity growth, a new low-wage, insecure workforce, declining marriage and fertility rates, and an extreme level of gender inequality. Within this gender gap lies the key both to the ailments and the cure. A deterioration in the use of human capital and a decline in family formation have become entrenched thanks to discrimination against the female half of the population. Yet gradual change is occurring, thanks not only to demographic necessity but also to a significant rise in female access to university education since the 1990s and the emergence of a wide range of role models to inspire and empower the next generation. Analysis of trends and policy options, combined with interviews with 21 role models spanning fields from business to the arts, diplomacy to politics, music to e-commerce, provides ample grounds for optimism. Japan is becoming a nation with an increasing number of potential female leaders. If this rise can be accelerated by both public policy and private action, Japan could achieve much greater social justice and sustainable prosperity in the decades to come.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea

When faced with global instability and economic uncertainty, it is tempting for states to react by closing borders, hoarding wealth and solidifying power. We have seen it at various times in Japan, France and Italy and now it is infecting much of Europe and America, as the vote for Brexit in the UK has vividly shown. This insularity, together with increased inequality of income and wealth, threatens the future role of the West as a font of stability, prosperity and security. Part of the problem is that the principles of liberal democracy upon which the success of the West has been built have been suborned, with special interest groups such as bankers accruing too much power and too great a share of the economic cake. So how is this threat to be countered? States such as Sweden in the 1990s, California at different times or Britain under Thatcher all halted stagnation by clearing away the powers of interest groups and restoring their societies’ ability to evolve. To survive, the West needs to be porous, open and flexible. From reinventing welfare systems to redefining the working age, from reimagining education to embracing automation, Emmott lays out the changes the West must make to revive itself in the moment and avoid a deathly rigid future.

Read more..

The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World’s Most Successful Political Idea

When faced with global instability and economic uncertainty, it is tempting for states to react by closing borders, hoarding wealth and solidifying power. We have seen it at various times in Japan, France and Italy and now it is infecting much of Europe and America, as the vote for Brexit in the UK has vividly shown. This insularity, together with increased inequality of income and wealth, threatens the future role of the West as a font of stability, prosperity and security. Part of the problem is that the principles of liberal democracy upon which the success of the West has been built have been suborned, with special interest groups such as bankers accruing too much power and too great a share of the economic cake. So how is this threat to be countered? States such as Sweden in the 1990s, California at different times or Britain under Thatcher all halted stagnation by clearing away the powers of interest groups and restoring their societies' ability to evolve. To survive, the West needs to be porous, open and flexible. From reinventing welfare systems to redefining the working age, from reimagining education to embracing automation, Emmott lays out the changes the West must make to revive itself in the moment and avoid a deathly rigid future.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

Rivals: How the power struggle between China, India and Japan will shape our next decade

The world is changing, as political and economic power shift further towards Asia. In this penetrating book Bill Emmott shows the ways in which our future will be dominated not by one, but by three Asian giants – China, India and a newly resurgent Japan. How will competition between the emergent great powers in the East affect the West? What will the potential benefits, tensions and danger zones be? Emmott, former editor of the Economist, is one of the world’s most authoritative international commentators. In Rivals he has written the essential book for understanding how this new power game will shape the twenty-first century.

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Rivals: How the power struggle between China, India and Japan will shape our next decade

The world is changing, as political and economic power shift further towards Asia. In this penetrating book Bill Emmott shows the ways in which our future will be dominated not by one, but by three Asian giants - China, India and a newly resurgent Japan. How will competition between the emergent great powers in the East affect the West? What will the potential benefits, tensions and danger zones be? Emmott, former editor of the Economist, is one of the world's most authoritative international commentators. In Rivals he has written the essential book for understanding how this new power game will shape the twenty-first century.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

20 : 21 Vision: Twentieth-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century

Citing such challenges as the backlash against Western capitalism, the September 11th attacks, and a mercurial stock market, an examination of twenty-first-century economics urges readers to prepare for the future by learning from the past. printing.

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20 : 21 Vision: Twentieth-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century

Citing such challenges as the backlash against Western capitalism, the September 11th attacks, and a mercurial stock market, an examination of twenty-first-century economics urges readers to prepare for the future by learning from the past. printing.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

Good Italy, Bad Italy: Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future

Once Italy was Europe’s own emerging economy, a society that blended dynamism and super-fast growth with a lifestyle that was the envy of all. Now it is a major threat to the future of the Euro, and of the European Union as a whole, as a political system shorn of credibility struggles to deal with huge public debts and anaemic levels of economic growth. Young people are leaving the country in droves, frustrated at the lack of opportunity. Older people cling on to their rights and privileges, fearful of what the future might hold. In this lively, up-to-the-minute book, former Economist editor Bill Emmott explains how Italy got to this point, what Italians feel about it, and what can be done to bring the country into better times. With the aid of numerous personal interviews, Emmott analyses ‘bad Italy’ – the land of Silvio Berlusconi, an inadequate justice system, an economy dominated by special interests and continuing corruption – but also ‘good Italy’, the home of countless enthusiastic entrepreneurs and of young people determined to open up Italy to the outside world and end mafia domination for good.

Read more..

Good Italy, Bad Italy: Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future

Once Italy was Europe's own emerging economy, a society that blended dynamism and super-fast growth with a lifestyle that was the envy of all. Now it is a major threat to the future of the Euro, and of the European Union as a whole, as a political system shorn of credibility struggles to deal with huge public debts and anaemic levels of economic growth. Young people are leaving the country in droves, frustrated at the lack of opportunity. Older people cling on to their rights and privileges, fearful of what the future might hold. In this lively, up-to-the-minute book, former Economist editor Bill Emmott explains how Italy got to this point, what Italians feel about it, and what can be done to bring the country into better times. With the aid of numerous personal interviews, Emmott analyses 'bad Italy' - the land of Silvio Berlusconi, an inadequate justice system, an economy dominated by special interests and continuing corruption - but also 'good Italy', the home of countless enthusiastic entrepreneurs and of young people determined to open up Italy to the outside world and end mafia domination for good.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

Sun Also Sets: Limits to Japan's Economic Power: THe Limits To Japan's Economic Power

A noted expert in the field of economics analyzes Japan’s rise to economic power and its perceived threat to American interests, arguing that Japan’s current economic status will not continue into the twenty-first century. The U.S. harbors increasing unease–and outright hostility–about Japan’s newfound wealth and growing technological dominance. Bill Emmott offers a compelling portrait of modern Japan, and shows why, contrary to current projections, the Japanese will not retain economic preeminence.

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Sun Also Sets: Limits to Japan's Economic Power: THe Limits To Japan's Economic Power

A noted expert in the field of economics analyzes Japan's rise to economic power and its perceived threat to American interests, arguing that Japan's current economic status will not continue into the twenty-first century. The U.S. harbors increasing unease--and outright hostility--about Japan's newfound wealth and growing technological dominance. Bill Emmott offers a compelling portrait of modern Japan, and shows why, contrary to current projections, the Japanese will not retain economic preeminence.
Buy the book
Buy the book
Bill Emmott book

Japanophobia: The Myth of the Invincible Japanese

Explodes the myth of Japan’s sinister global reach, describing how Sony and Matsushita foolishly ceded control of a crucial product to foreigners and how the assault of Japanese firms on Wall Street went awry. 17,500 first printing.

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Japanophobia: The Myth of the Invincible Japanese

Explodes the myth of Japan's sinister global reach, describing how Sony and Matsushita foolishly ceded control of a crucial product to foreigners and how the assault of Japanese firms on Wall Street went awry. 17,500 first printing.
Buy the book
Buy the book

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